Big Daddy's Pizza — Restaurant in Los Angeles

To those not intimately familiar with the Venice boardwalk, there are probably about 70 different spots to grab food. Most all of it is mediocre, carnival-level grub that can fill you up, but is rarely ever anything to remember. Big Daddy's is the standout. The food is downright excellent. Now when I say 'excellent', I'm putting things in perspective for what it is. This is not a 5-star restaurant and isn't pretending to be. It's a funky food stand in funky Venice that manages to do what it does better than anyone else. They have a fat ton of offerings on the menu, burgers, Mexican, pizza, even some crazy stuff like whole turkey drumsticks. All of it is disproportionately large for the reasonable price you're paying and is shockingly good for a food stand. The pizza in particular is better than most restaurant pizza and to me, blows away CPK. The veggie burrito is the bomb and isn't your normal lettuce-filled ripoff that leaves you hungry 10 min. later. The fish and chips are actually two breaded filets, not pre-fabbed sticks. If you go on a sunny afternoon, be prepared to wait as most locals know that this is the best spot on the 'walk and worth waiting...

Walking Venice Beach, it seems like all the ticky-tacky stores have the "BEST (insert product here)". As a New Yorker, when a place brags the best pizza on Venice Beach, I take that statement with a grain of salt.

As we approached and took notice of the line packed with local skateboarders (the park's right nearby) and eclectic residents, we reconsidered and decided to try a slice here. My friend and I opted for the plain pizza...priced at $2.50, it's cheaper than most other places on the boardwalk. You can up the ante and get your slice battered and fried for $0.50 more, which is what we both did.

Despite the seemingly dry looking exterior, a bite gave way to gooey awesomeness tucked beneath that top battered layer. I'd liken the experience to chewing on a flat mozzarella stick that's already got the dipping sauce included.

It's no New York slice, but Big Daddy & Sons is damn close, and the fried pizza is definitely worth an experience. Be prepared to do some more walking to burn it all off...

I went here on chance my first night in Venice -- hungry and looking for something easy and fast. I got a fish taco. I ate it on the beach. It was so good, I went back and got another.

Very crispy and fresh, corn meal crusted fish, well seasoned with the right amount of slaw and sauce and soft, corn tortillas. I am from NYC, I lived in Mexico, and I can tell you these tacos are mighty fine and I had one each day that I was in Venice. I am coming back to LA next week and you better believe I will be getting my Big Daddy fix. I can't quite put a finger on what makes them special... but why question a good thing?

You know it's a real find when you're standing in line with surfers and...